ODYSSEY
___
THE JOURNEY
CONTINUES
We traverse the highways and byways of life through music and story. Like rivers carving valleys, or winds rising over mountain peaks, every song has echoed the wild beauty of creation and the deep yearning of the human soul for the place which we have always longed— home.
Open Heavens Collective
WELCOME.
Thank you for joining us at OPEN HEAVENS ODYSSEY: A JOURNEY HOME.
This free event was made possible by the extravagant generosity of people just like yourself.
If you would like to partner with us to support future Open Heavens events, you can donate HERE
Follow the trail below to discover a collection of the thoughts, songs, poems & quotes from the evening.
Dive deeper into the original songs.
Pause. Linger. Take stock. Let the words sink in.
CHAPTER ONE
THE PERILOUS ROAD
“I’m just a traveler on this earth. Sure as my heart’s behind the pocket of my shirt. I just keep rolling til I’m in the dirt, cos I’m a traveler.”
Traveler, Chris Stapleton
Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains in the moon.
Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green
And trees and hills they long have known.
The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
Let others follow it who can!
Let them a journey new begin,
But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn,
My evening-rest and sleep to meet.
Roads Go Ever On - JRR Tolkein
“I’m standing at a crossroads,
I believe I’m sinking down.”
Crossroads, John Mayer
“Thought it was a nightmare, though it’s all so true. They told me don’t go walkin’ slow; the devil’s on the loose.”
Run Through The Jungle, Creedence Clearwater Revival
MEGAN KING
THE SEVEN SEAS
I could sail through the seven seas
I could run with the wind beneath my feet
I could climb to the tallest tree
But the devil will be chasing me
And I need you to rescue me.
CHAPTER TWO
THE BATTLE
“I’ve been trying all this time,
but I still can’t climb the mountains of my mind.”
Mountains of my Mind, Chris Stapleton
“After the storm, I run and run as the rains come, and I look up.
On my knees and out of luck, I look up.
After The Storm, Mumford & Sons
THE FIGHT
MEGAN KING
You said ‘just breathe slow
And don’t let them in
Though they shout and grow
Don’t you let them win
They are only ghosts
They are not your friends’
You said ‘don’t get caught
And don’t lose control
They will break your heart
And then steal your soul
They’ll take all you’ve got
Then come back for more’
You said ‘don’t you dare
Consider lying down’
You said ‘take my hand
And just get one foot on the ground’
You said ‘girl I swear
This is the fight you gotta win’
You said ‘slam that door
And don’t you let those demons in’
“Most of us are acutely aware
that we live in a world at war.
But the war is not over power,
land or money,
or even good and evil.
It is over something even more basic.
The war is over truth,
and the battlefield
is the mind of every person.”
- Bill Johnson
RAQUELLE
CROSSFIRE
Waving our white flag
Calling out for peace
A stronghold on the truth
One that sets us free
But they wonder why it burns
When they douse the flames with fuel
Could we walk into the furnace
And emerge unconsumed?
Written by Raquelle Pedler & David Casey
CHAPTER THREE
DYING, TO LIVE
"In my end is my beginning."
- TS Eliot, Four Quartets
TAKE ME DOWN
MEGAN KING
Down below, where the bodies go
To wage their war on the blood and bone
Down below, where the bodies go
And the flesh surrenders unto the soul
Down below, where the fallen sleep
To rest in the eternal peace
Down below, in the ash and dirt
Buried deep to be unearthed
Down below, where the bodies go
Inside a tomb, behind a stone
Down below, the earth groans
The demons flee, the stone is rolled
Down below, where the dead things rise
By the one who traded death for life
So take me down where the bodies go
Let the water drown, then revive my soul.
“Oh sinners,
let’s go down, down to the river to pray.”
Down To The River To Pray, Alison Krauss
THE RIVER
OPEN HEAVENS COLLECTIVE
Oh precious blood
That washed me white as snow
You call me to the river
And you purify my soul
The grace that can’t be bought
And the love that can’t be sold
Has plucked me from destruction
And it’s never letting go
Written by Megan King & David Casey
CHAPTER FOUR
HOMEWARD
“Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green
And trees and hills they long have known.”
- JRR Tolkein (from ‘Roads Go Ever On’)
I’mma see you move in the land of the living
I’mma see your kingdom come
Even if it takes me down
Dig the dirt, stake the ground
Don’t forsake me now
I’mma see you move in the land of the living
OPEN HEAVENS COLLECTIVE
LAND OF THE LIVING
Written by Raquelle Pedler, Megan King & David Casey
“Got the devil below me.
Because I’m runnin’ with angels.”
Runnin’ With Angels, Sons of Sunday
'“When I see your light shine, I know I’m home.”
We’re Going Home, Vance Joy
“The hills though high, I covet to ascend;
the difficulty will not me offend.
For I perceive the way of life lies here;
come pluck up, heart, let’s neither faint nor fear.
Better, though difficult, the right way to go,
than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe.”
- John Bunyan, from Pilgrims Progress
PILGRIM
ELIZABETH RAE
I’m a pilgrim roaming
On the road less travelled
A burden tied up on my back
Wading through despondence
Avoiding prowling lions
Tall shadows loom up on this track
I lift up my eyes to the hills
Where a cross stands taller still
As I come in close, my burden falls
Tumbles down those slopes
To a tomb cut into the stone
Where it’s seen no more
And I can be sure
Home is where my feet are heading
No more fear of judgement I am pressing on
Home is in that far-off city
Death will not defeat me
I am going home
CHAPTER FIVE
HOME, AT LAST
“I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now...
Come further up, come further in!”
- CS Lewis, The Last Battle
(Not Gonna Worry)
SARAH GOULDS
SPARROWS
Look at the birds of the heavens
Look at the flowers of the fields
How they’re adorned with perfection
Glory revealed
And since the dawn of forever
They neither gather nor sow
They needn’t store earthly treasure
Don’t worry bout tomorrow
Written by Sarah Goulds, Raquelle Pedler, Megan King & David Casey
“Why should my heart
long for heaven & home?”
His Eye Is On The Sparrow
“The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
Let others follow it who can!
Let them a journey new begin,
But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn,
My evening-rest and sleep to meet.”
- JRR Tolkein (from ‘Roads Go Ever On’)
ROAD TO RIVERLEIGH
BRENDON WALMSLEY
Humble dust and gravel rumble
Just below the tyres
Won’t be long
I’ll find I’m almost home
That old verandah lantern
Burning bright, will welcome me
Heaven’s getting closer
On the Road to Riverleigh
Come on round the table
We’ve made room where you belong
Soon as we are able
We’ll sing good old gospel songs
Soft and tender, hope is whispering
Heaven for a moment
On the road to Riverleigh
“Let me sing of the day we stand in glory. The Author tells his story and we’ll see how he brought all things together.”
He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands,
Brendon Walmsley
At the heart of our event lies a longing to look beyond the everyday—to reflect on deeper things and consider others above ourselves. We invite you to join us in partnering with Compassion, an organisation devoted to loving and serving those in need, by lifting them out of poverty and imbuing their futures with hope.
May this evening stir something in you— and lead you to explore the remarkable work of Compassion.
“Ain’t no mountain high enough. Ain’t no valley low enough. Ain’t no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you.”
Ain’t No Mountain, Marvin Gaye
“When they lay me down to die,
goin’ up to the Spirit in the sky.”
Spirit in the Sky, Norman Greenbaum
“We’ll dance on streets of gold, when we get where we’re going. We’ll see what our hearts have known forever - we were not made for here, we were made for heaven.”
Made For Heaven, CAIN
DONATE HERE to support future Open Heavens events.
Thank you once again for joining us at
Open Heavens - Odyssey: A Journey Home.
Isaac Moody - Event Producer
Megan King - Creative Director, Host Artist, Songwriter, Acoustic Guitar
Raquelle Pedler - Music Director, Host Artist, Songwriter, Social Media Manager
Kali Brumpton - Event Management
Deanne Musa - Event Management
Madeleine Wiedemann - Communication Editor, Compassion Ambassador
Wiedemann Family - Venue Hosts
Murray Holmes - MC
Elizabeth Rae - Feature Artist, Songwriter,
Vocal Arranger
Sarah Goulds - Feature Artist, Songwriter,
Demo Production
Brendon Walmsley - Feature Artist, Songwriter
Kris Fenton - Assistant Music Director, Keys, Music Charter
Joel Hunt - Assistant Music Director, Electric Guitar, Feature Artist, Songwriter
David Casey - Mandolin, Resonator, Electric Guitar, Songwriter
Jimmy ‘Jimboss’ Graham - Feature Artist, Trumpet
Brendan Stuart - Electric Guitar
Phil Margetts - Bass Guitar
James Harcourt - Keys, Music Charter
James French - Drums
Jess Johansen - Violin
Steve King - Trumpet
Rachel Byron - Vocals
Reina Henare - Vocals
Cameron French - Vocals
Katelyn Martini - Vocals
PJ Hutton - Site Manager
Glynn Carter - Site Electrician & Communications
Gary Love - First Aid
Mitch Richardson - Photography & Videography
Jordan Anderson - Production
Riley O’Brien - Production
Roz Windows- Production
Dylan Pukallus - Production
Sammy Watts - Production
Nigel Pfeffer - Production
Matthew Bremner - Production
Rhys Clarkson - Production
Jonte Earle - Lighting Director
Volunteer Team
Matthew Entwistle, Harry Scurr, Emma Saal,
Eben Geldenhuis, Anje Luck , Sarah Holmes,
Hayden King, Benjamin Moody, William Moody, Tyson King, Stephen Joyce, Stephen Wiedemann, Kylie Groves, Simon Groves, Charlie Eley
Credits:
Details to be announced!
Join us at our Open Heavens Easter Event in 2026.